Flurry Festival to feature singing and dancing in Spa City

Contra dancing is part of the activities planned as part of “Flurry Festival: A Festival of Traditional Dancing and Music” this weekend in Saratoga Springs.
Photo by L. Schulz

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Who isn’t ready to shake off the winter blues?

The 27th annual Flurry Festival — once known as the Saratoga Dance Flurry — will offer the opportunity to do it en masse with a full weekend of singing, dancing and jamming throughout the Spa City.

Festival headquarters are at the Saratoga Springs City Center and Saratoga Hilton Hotel, with more performances and workshops scheduled at Saratoga Music Hall, Caffè Lena and The Parting Glass Pub. The Flurry is well-known as the best winter weekend ever for dancers and music lovers of all ages, featuring more than 400 performers, five venues and more than 250 events.

Tamara Flanders, one of the event organizers, said this year will include a huge lineup of programs for families with young children, many new programs for teens and fun for all ages with international music and dance events, nonstop swing and contra dancing, jamming and music instruction and storytelling.

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For young children, there will be family dances, traditional square dancing, international family dancing, a kids jug band jam, community barn dances, improvisational modern dance, funny songs, sing-alongs and story telling.

Teens will have their own contra dance session, improvisational modern dance class, a teen talent showcase, teen jam session, world dance for teens, sing-along songs from summer camp, Spanish-style hip-hop dancing and other activities specially lined up for teens and young adults.

Flanders said festival-goers of all ages will enjoy a major lineup of international music and dance experiences, featuring events like an African Jive Dancapalooza, Cajun dance parties, regional Greek folk dances, Irish singing, yodeling, Yiddish square dancing, a Scandinavian dance party, as well as many more international dance, music and singing sessions.

Traditional Flurry Festival activities such as nonstop contra and swing dancing will go all weekend long, including a Lindy Boot Camp and a Lindy Bomb Ball later that day; contra dancing for all levels of ability; waltzes; squares; and even romantic couple dances featured on Friday for Valentine’s Day. This year also will feature two techno contra dance parties, one at night and one during the day for those who aren’t night owls.

“There’s no need to bring a partner, just come ready to have some fun,” Flanders said.

Organizers said Flurry Fest is a fun way to spend a weekend even for those who aren’t dancers. With offerings such as jamming, music instruction workshops, concerts, storytelling, demonstrations and special dance performances, the weekend promises plenty of stimulation outside the realm of taking to the dance floor.

This year’s Flurry Festival will feature more than 20 live concerts from African-American gospel and freedom songs with Kim and Reggie Harris, to vintage blues with Annie & the Hedonists, Flamenco Music and Dance with Tania Asili and more.

And for those who want to brush up on their prancing and dancing skills, there will be more than 30 music instructional workshops with everything from “Beginning Harmonica” to “Body Percussion,” “Hillbilly Blues Banjo Playing”, “Steel Pan Drum” and more. The vocally inclined will be able to sit in on 20 singing sessions, including songs from the Underground Railroad, sea chanteys and drinking songs and round singing. A Merce Cunningham lecture-demo will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday at Skidmore’s Tang Museum at 815 N. Broadway.

Vendors will be on-hand with dance couture, including dance shoes. There also will be a variety of food, including options for vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free attendees.

Advance tickets are on sale for a limited time and are available for purchase on-site all weekend. To purchase a ticket in advance, go to www.flurryfestival.org/tickets.html. Tickets are available as full-weekend passes or day passes with special discounts for students, children and seniors.

WHERE: Festival headquarters are at the Saratoga Springs City Center and Saratoga Hilton Hotel, with more performances and workshops scheduled at Saratoga Music Hall, Caffè Lena and The Parting Glass Pub

TICKETS: For more information on tickets, lodging, shuttle options and a schedule, go to www.flurryfestival.org